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UW Religion Today Column for Week of May 18-24: What Strengthens a Marriage, Religion or Education?

May 14, 2014 — Americans like marriage. At this moment, about 55 percent of
Americans are married, and fewer than 10 percent of Americans over 60 have
never been married. Marriage provides love, companionship and a stable home
life, with or without children. Most religions place a high value on getting
married and remaining married.

Remaining married is hard. Just ask the citizens of
Cheyenne, Wyo. In 2010, Cheyenne had the second highest divorce rate of any
city in the United States, just behind Las Vegas, according to a report
published by Men’s Health magazine. In Wyoming, one in five divorces took place
in Cheyenne during the five-year period ending in 2009. The magazine’s 2014
report indicates Cheyenne’s rank has eased a bit, falling to fourth place, with
Las Vegas dropping to eighth.

Reporting by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and Men’s Health
point to economic stress on the family as a significant cause of divorce. When
job loss or financial instability is added to other marital stresses, it often
tips the scale and leads to the divorce court.

So, what strengthens a marriage? The emphasis placed by
religions on strong marriages and families would suggest that religion -- in
the United States, that overwhelmingly refers to Christianity -- provides the
best support. Well, not always. According to a 1999 Barna Research Group
report, many Christian denominations have poor divorce rates.

While 25 percent of American adults have been divorced at
least once, 29 percent of Baptists have divorced. For Christians in
non-denominational churches (read “born-again”), that rate rises to 34 percent.
By contrast, mainline Protestants are average at 25 percent, while Mormons are
just under at 24 percent and Catholics somewhat lower at 21 percent.

If the high divorce rate among Baptists and
non-denominational churches strikes you as a mistake, it is not. A look at
divorce rates by state in 2009 (U.S. Census Bureau figures) shows that the
highest divorce rates are concentrated in the American South -- from Oklahoma
to Georgia, from Louisiana to Kentucky -- where these forms of Christianity are
predominant.

This result is highly ironic, as well as controversial,
because Baptists and other born-again Christians prominently emphasize marriage
and family. But even the often-repeated observation that Jesus forbade divorce
does not enable these Bible-believing Christians to divorce less frequently
than other Americans.

It seems that religion cannot be depended on to keep a
marriage intact. So, what does?

It turns out that education is the best support for a
long-lasting marriage. According to a study of marriages during the five years
ending in 2010, the Centers for Disease Control found that women in a first
marriage had a 78 percent probability of remaining married for 20 years if they
had a bachelor’s degree. If they had less education, the likelihood did not
even reach 50 percent.

The results were only slightly less pronounced for men.
Those with bachelor’s degrees had a 65 percent probability of remaining married
for 20 years, while those with less education had a 54 percent probability or
below.

In a different approach to this question, a Pew analysis of
2008 data indicates that 62 percent of women with college degrees were married
at age 30, while only 60 percent of those without degrees were wedded. And of
women aged 35-39, women without college degrees were 55 percent more likely to
have divorced than those with college degrees (2.9 percent vs. 1.6 percent).

This study about education and the success of marriage cuts
across all religions and denominations, and even applies to atheists. But the
important observation is this: If you are religious and want to fulfill your
religion’s or denomination’s expectation of a lifelong marriage, you will
increase your chances if you pursue higher education and get a bachelor’s
degree.